Good afternoon. We start the week in South Australia, where the state opposition leader has been roundly criticised for comments he made while defending tough anti-protest laws.
The laws were rushed through with bipartisan support last week after a rally was held outside an oil and gas conference. The Liberals leader, David Speirs, said protest was a “good thing” but “there are some countries where your head would be cut off for doing that sort of protest”, in words that sparked condemnation from Human Rights Watch and the Greens.
In other news, a 40-year-old Australian man has tragically lost his life returning from the summit of Mount Everest.
Top news
Australian climber dies on Mount Everest | Jason Bernard Kennison started showing abnormal behaviour on his return from the summit and was unable to be rescued in time, according to a sherpa. Kennison’s climb came 17 years after he was told he might never walk again because of a 2006 car accident that left him with spinal cord injuries and depression. He was using his ascent to raise money for Spinal Cord Injuries Australia.
NSW police officer found guilty | Constable Ryan Barlow has been found guilty of assaulting a 16-year-old Indigenous boy in Sydney. The 2020 incident drew national attention after phone footage showed Barlow threw the teenager to the ground using an unofficial “leg sweep” manoeuvre. Barlow will be sentenced at a later date.
Queensland police shoot Indigenous man | Police have fatally shot an Indigenous man in front of his family in Brisbane’s north while responding to a domestic violence call-out, just a day after officers visited the same house. Police say initial investigations show a Taser was not deployed, adding that body-camera footage was yet to be reviewed.
Stella Assange at National Press Club | The wife of Julian Assange told reporters that “this is the closest we have ever been to securing Julian’s release”, in reference to bipartisan support in Australia for the US to drop the extradition case.
The Australian condemned for photo related to Lehrmann inquiry | The head of the inquiry into the handling of the Bruce Lehrmann case excoriated the Australian newspaper for publishing a photo of the ACT director of public prosecutions, Shane Drumgold, as he stood in the driveway of his Canberra home. The paper ran the image on its front cover on 19 May under a caption that read: “Crown Lager or Drumgold Bitter. Prosecutor Calls Beer O’clock”.
Guy Pearce returns to Neighbours, again | The actor has confirmed he will make an appearance in the upcoming Neighbours reboot, after Amazon swooped in to revive the long-running Australian soap.
New Zealand emissions reduction project | The country has announced its largest emissions reduction project in history, transitioning from coal to renewable electricity at the country’s major steel plant in a move that the government says is equivalent to taking 300,000 cars off the road.
China summons Japanese ambassador | Beijing was less than impressed with the G7 summit in Hiroshima over the weekend, which ended with a communique warning China over its “militarisation activities” in the Asia-Pacific region. China summoned Japan’s envoy to register an official protest.
US-PNG security agreement | Competition with China for influence in the Pacific was also felt in Port Moresby, with the US set to sign a new security pact with Papua New Guinea. The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, arrived in PNG today to sign the agreement.
In video
Warning: this video contains disturbing footage. Body-worn camera footage shows NSW police handcuffing 81-year-old nursing home resident, Rachel Grahame. Watch the one-minute video.
What they said …
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“It’s time to ban gambling ads.” – Zoe Daniel
The independent MP introduced a private member’s bill in the lower house today to crack down on gambling ads during sports broadcasts.
In numbers
That requires governments investing in public transport infrastructure, the Climate Council of Australia says. The NSW government might want to start upping the investment soon with a new report revealing Sydney’s train network is plagued by almost 40,000 defects.
Before bed read
Comedian and actor Melissa McCarthy talks to the Observer’s Eva Wiseman about winding up Trump, using “humour as healthcare” and why she’s had enough of Hollywood’s “screamers and egos”.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: KENS. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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